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Don Johnson

Don Johnson

Birthday: 1949-12-15 | Place of Birth: Flat Creek, Missouri, USA

Donald Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer, director, singer, and songwriter. He's best known for his role as Det. James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, winning a Golden Globe for his work in the role. In 1984, after more then a decade of acting on television, Johnson landed a starring role as undercover police detective Sonny Crockett in the Michael Mann/Universal Television cop series, Miami Vice (1984-1990). Miami Vice made him "a major international star." According to Rolling Stone, "No one had more swagger in the Reagan era than Don Johnson." His work on Miami Vice earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama, in 1986, and he was nominated for the same award in 1987. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1985. Between seasons on Miami Vice, he gained further renown through TV miniseries such as the 1985 remake of The Long, Hot Summer. In 1996, he had a supporting role in Tin Cup, along with Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, and Cheech Marin. Johnson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996. He later starred in the 1996–2001 CBS-TV police drama Nash Bridges with Cheech Marin, Jeff Perry, Jaime P. Gomez, Kelly Hu, Wendy Moniz, Annette O'Toole, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as his daughter Cassidy, and James Gammon as his father Nick. In October 2010, he began appearing on the HBO series Eastbound & Down, playing Kenny Powers' long-lost father, going by the alias "Eduardo Sanchez." He also reprised his role as Sonny Crockett for a Nike commercial with LeBron James in which the NBA player contemplates acting and appears alongside Johnson on Miami Vice. He had a supporting role in the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained, playing a southern plantation owner named Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett. In 2014, Johnson starred as the character "Jim Bob" opposite Sam Shepard and Michael C. Hall in Jim Mickle's critically acclaimed crime film, Cold in July. In 2014, he had a supporting role in the film The Other Woman as Cameron Diaz's character's father. In 2015, Johnson began starring in the ABC prime time soap opera Blood & Oil. In 2018, he starred as the character of Arthur, the love interest of Vivian, played by Jane Fonda in Bill Holderman's romantic-comedy Book Club. In 2019, Johnson played the role of Richard Drysdale in Rian Johnson's murder-mystery Knives Out; and starred as Police Chief Judd Crawford in the HBO series Watchmen. In 2021, he co-starred on Kenan, until its cancellation in May 2022. He also appeared in a Nash Bridges television film, with co-star Cheech Marin, on the USA Network in 2021.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2025
Unit 234

as    Jules

2024
Doctor Odyssey

as    Captain Robert Massey

2024
Rebel Ridge

as    Chief Sandy Burnne

2023
Book Club: The Next Chapter

as    Arthur

2023
The Collective

as    Liam

2023
A Little White Lie

as    T. Wasserman

2022
High Heat

as    Ray

2021
Nash Bridges

as    Nash Bridges

2021
Kenan

as    Rick

2019
Dragged Across Concrete

as    Chief Lt. Calvert

2019
Vault

as    Gerry

2019
Knives Out

as    Richard Drysdale

2018
Book Club

as    Arthur

2017
Vengeance: A Love Story

as    Jay Kirkpatrick

2017
Brawl in Cell Block 99

as    Warden Tuggs

2015
Blood & Oil

as    Hap Briggs

2015
The Hot Spot

as    Harry Madox

2015
Alex of Venice

as    Roger

2014
The Other Woman

as    Frank

2014
Cold in July

as    Jim Bob

2013
Blood of 1000 Virgins

as    Self (archive footage)

2011
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star

as    Miles Deep

2008
Long Flat Balls II

as    Admiral Burnett

2008
Torno a vivere da solo

as    Nico

2008
Bastardi

as    Sante Patene